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Oseram
The Oseram are a human tribe in Horizon Zero Dawn. ''They are known for their excellent metalworkers and craftsmen, and as such, their steel and powerful weaponry. They are more technologically advanced compared to the other known tribes. History The Oseram are said to be the first tribe to delve into the ruins of the Old Ones, which are plentiful in their homeland. Due to their loosely defined government, numerous Oseram traveled beyond the Claim for work: Oseram work gangs were responsible for the construction of Meridian's elevators. Red Raids The Oseram were one of several tribes attacked by the Carja during the Red Raids. Countless among their tribe were either slaughtered or brought to the Sun-Ring to be enslaved and/or sacrificed. Interestingly, there were a number of Oseram, such as the work gang led by Petra Forgewoman, who remained in the Sundom during the war, keeping mobile to avoid kestrels. To counter the Carja threat, many Oseram banded together to defend their land and their people. Notable warriors included Dervahl, a genius tinkerer and warlord who eventually lost his family to the raids; Ersa, a fierce warrior who had survived the Sun-Ring and escaped enslavement; and her brother, Erend. Approximately a decade into the Raids, Avad, the second son of the Mad Sun-King, came to the Claim in hopes of ending his father's brutal reign. Ersa, remembering Avad's role in helping her escape, gathered Freebooters loyal to her and joined Avad's cause. Thus, the Oseram would play a crucial role in the Liberation of Meridian, and the end of the Red Raids. Post-Liberation The Oseram's role in liberating Meridian would not be forgotten. Upon becoming Sun-King, Avad turned his Freebooter allies into the Vanguard, his personal guard and part of Meridian's security. Any remaining Oseram slaves were released, and all Oseram were granted entry into Meridian. While suspicious of the Carja, the ealdormen of the Claim agreed to form an alliance with their southern neighbors. Free trade resulting from this alliance proved mutually beneficial, and many Oseram came to the Sundom for work. Politics The Oseram are divided into loosely-confederated clans inhabiting the land to the north of the Carja Sundom, known as "the Claim."[[Horizon Zero Dawn Collector's Edition Guide|''Horizon Zero Dawn Strategy Guide (Collector's Ed.)]], Future Press, 2017. Governing structure The tribe as a whole is made up of independent villages maintained by family clans. These clans are loosely united into a larger nation-state, although the day-to-day lives of Oseram are governed by his or her clan's ealdormen. Each clan elects a council of ealdormen to provide governance to the tribe, although this is typically done on a case-by-case basis. Oseram citizens with requests for marriage or policy proposals for the village will wait in line for hours each day for an opportunity to pose their question to the ealdormen.The Claim (Datapoint) Settlements outside of the Claim appear to follow different governing structures. Culture In many ways, Oseram culture is distinct from other tribes. They do not wear any form of face paint (although they are known to have tattoos), scorn organized religion, and design based on practicality rather than take inspiration from their surroundings. The Oseram value independence and freedom of expression, making arguments a vital part of Oseram culture. Similarly, honesty is a key virtue, and cheating or deceiving a fellow tribe member is a crime punishable by death. The Oseram's greatest achievement is their practical craftsmanship, which many members, including Erend, can be heard boasting about. They are the only tribe to forge their own alloys, which they use over raw machine parts. Their armors are highly resilient and their weapons are advanced and powerful despite their lack of ancient knowledge, with a particularly notable example being the Oseram Cannon, a key element in Jiran's defeat during the Liberation of Meridian. Other apparatuses, like Sonic Devices, safe doors, and primitive voice recorders are proof of their technological aptitude, which so far can only be surpassed by those bearing knowledge of the Old Ones. According to Ralert, Oseram use all the parts from machines and consider it wasteful to do otherwise. As evidenced by many Oseram, as well as the Carja scribe Aram, the Oseram are heavy drinkers. Architecture Oseram structures are sturdy in design, comprised of stone and reinforced with lumber and metal. Most of their smaller buildings tend to be circular or cylindrical in shape. Beliefs The Oseram believe that the world functions as a large and intricately crafted mechanism, and all the forces of nature are accounted for by this mechanism. They believe that the Old Ones were once the caretakers of this "world-machine", and their civilization fell due to their failure to maintain it.The Old Ones (Datapoint) Aside from this myth, the Oseram are largely agnostic or atheist, and scorn the idea of religious bodies. They are generally critical of tribal religions, especially when they interfere with common sense. Women The Oseram have a patriarchal society in which women are not permitted to own property; rather, according to Gera at Hunter's Gathering, they are treated like property. Women who wish to become soldiers must shave their heads. Married women will have "Wife" as their title's suffix (ex: Alewife, Forgewife, Bladewife). Gera says that this results in strong families, or treacherous bandits. The patriarchy is even stronger in the Claim than in the neighboring Sundom, especially after the recent reforms of Sun-King Avad. Following the Liberation, many Oseram woman have left the Claim in hopes of finding independence. Foreign Relations Oseram are often seen outside of the Claim, either searching for employment opportunities or resettling entirely. Carja The Carja are the Oseram's southern neighbors, whom they share a long history with. Based on glyphs, the Oseram may have begun trade with the Carja as early as the reign of Sun-King Juwadan.The Sun-Kings It is likely that the two tribes had cordial relations prior to the start of the Red Raids, as Oseram work gangs played a large role in the construction of Meridian's elevators. During the Red Raids, the Oseram were hit especially hard by the Carja due to their proximity; however, their technological prowess allowed them to put up a solid fight. While some Oseram, such as Dervahl, hated all Carja for the Raids, others acknowledged that Jiran's actions did not represent all Carja. The allegiance between then-disgraced Prince Avad and Oseram Freebooters was a vital component of the Liberation of Meridian, and the freebooters that marched with Avad became the first members of the Vanguard, which in time became not only a crucial part of Meridian, but a symbol of unity between the two tribes. Oseram tend to criticize Carja culture for its opulence, and are suspicious of the Sundom igniting war with them again. On the other hand, many Oseram, particularly women, have immigrated to the Sundom due to the comparatively greater freedom, forming a considerable minority. The Ealdormen in the Claim seem the least receptive of the alliance, owing largely to the resulting emigration and the potential influence of Carja culture (particularly in regards to women). Additionally, some Oseram, most notably Dervahl, holds a grudge against the Carja for the Red Raids, which has nearly led to conflict restarting between the two. While the alliance between the two tribes is uneasy at best, it is nevertheless the strongest inter-tribal relationship seen in the known world. Banuk While not antagonistic, the relationship between the Banuk and Oseram is far from cordial. The differences between their two cultures, especially their spirituality, is a large factor. Some merchants from the Oseram have even traveled to sell their items to the in The Cut, with little success. Nora While interactions between the Nora and Oseram are limited, the Oseram display a basic knowledge of Nora customs. Some Oseram, most notably Gera, have come to Hunter's Gathering following the Red Raids, engaging in trade with the Nora tribe for the first time in either of their histories. However, there are indications that the Oseram, like the Carja, view the Nora as primitive: several Oseram have referred to the Nora as "savages". Known Members NPC Archetypes * Elite Mercenary * Mercenary Forgesmith * Mercenary Gunner * Mercenary Heav * Mercenary Warrior * Merchant * Odund's Marvel Outlander * Oseram Elder * Oseram Freebooter * Oseram Guard * Oseram Outlander * Oseram Worker * Vanguard Regular Known Settlements, Outposts, and Gates * Free Heap * Pitchcliff Trivia * The Oseram make use of bynames, which are last names derived from occupation, gender, marital status, or familial relation. Examples include [[Petra Forgewoman|Petra Forgewoman]] and [[Olin Delverson|Olin Delverson]]. * The Oseram's culture is loosely based on that of the Cossacks.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us_S7aNyEMc Madqueen Show on Youtube: How Horizon Zero Dawn was designed] ** Their clothing and architecture style, however, were original designs, conceived by determining how they would interact with their environment. * Scrappersap, considered to be the finest Oseram brew, is derived from corn. Gallery Ilya-golitsyn-oseram-heavy-02-resize.jpg|Concept art by Ilya Golitsyn Ilya-golitsyn-oseram-soldier-female-ig-resize.jpg Ilya-golitsyn-oseram-vanguard-ig-final-resize.jpg|Vanguard concept art Ilya-golitsyn-oseram-vanguard-female-final-resize.jpg Ilya-golitsyn-oseram-merchant-resize.jpg|Merchant concept art IMG 0192.JPG IMG 0191.JPG Alex-zapata-oseram-final.jpg|Oseram architecture modeled by Alex Zapata References Category:Humans Category:Tribes